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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · cell · rock · pitch · club · track · temple · current

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. track — a path
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pitch — completely
  7. current — happening now
  8. cell — a phone
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. current — of water
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. kid — to tease
  14. club — for golf
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rock — a stone
  19. current — electric
  20. club — a group
  21. kid — child
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. track — a song
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com